Sorry it's not a salvia but it's just so nice.

Calceolaria pavonii.

Anybody else out there enjoying it with their salvias?

Jim

Wooly Blue Curls (Trichostema lanatum)

A SoCal native, in full bloom now in my garden. Hummer magnet, which looks like a very fancy salvia with leaves that look like rosemary herb. Does anyone know how to get seeds from this plant?? It's my first time growing it.

You might also want to try Caryopteris divaricata, which also puts out wonderful blue flowers.

Try the Theodore Payne Foundation in Sun Valley, California

Can I include the wonderful Lepechinia bella in this thread? Closely related to Salvias, this is stunning, true blue, long-flowering, border-line hardy.

In Britain, does anyone grow other Lepechinias? I am curious about L. salviae and L. lamiifolia, which are supposedly other showy species. Ginny Hunt has bella, and also L. graveolens (hardy in North Carolina, with many small flowers in dense cymes). I have also L. chamaedryoides from Ginny. A new nursery in coastal northern California also has it as a plant.

Put a couple of cartoon eyes on that Calciolaria flower, and you might have a Disney feature cartoon character (think of the genie in Alladin)

"Trichostema lanatum (Lamiaceae), failed
to germinate unless smoke treatment was coupled with prior treatment of 1 yr soil storage."

Yeesh! I don't have that kind of patience... guess I'll be giving away these seeds, and I'd better not kill the mother plant. ;-)

Robin - Glad you like the Calceolaria - a cutting already has your name on it - hope the ink doesn't run.

Lepechinia bella is, without doubt, a lovely plant. I also find L. hastata rather attractive - not overly showy but nevertheless intriguing when given the right placement. It may be a synonym of salviae although the RHS Plantfinder has not yet linked them.

I also grow L. chamedryoides which, surprisingly, came through last winter, albeit weakened to the point that it will probably now not flower this year. A shame, as I rather like its quiet attraction.

voodoobrew - Trichstema lanatum looks interesting but I wonder if this SoCal native would be happy here in Herts/UK?

Rich - your Caryopteris divaricata looks nice - I recognise the flower from the plant Caryopteris × clandonensis (C. incana_x_C. mongholica) - of which the form 'Heavenly Blue' is often found in Garden Centres here in the UK. I don't know Lepechinia lamiifolia - got a link for a pic?

Drusilla - two years ago I sneaked a cutting back from a holiday in the Algarve and subsequently found it to be Dicliptera suberecta. Of the plants I propagated and planted out last year, one survived last winter (in a dry/sheltered spot) and is currently flowering. Is your D. sericea anything like this plant?

Jim

Phlomis cashmeriana (western Himalayas)is a much bigger plant, and grows from a basal rosette. Its cousin from Europe, Phlomis tuberosa, is similar.

Currently what I wish there were more of in the trade are Cupheas. The only resemblance to Salvias is that they are loved by hummingbirds. Strybing told me that they will soon be offering many varieties; they didn't put them out for the winter sale, but I saw them blooming in the park.

Well, I'm just going to assume that it won't get nearly as tall here as it does in its native Chile.